The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells.

Exercise improves blood flow and memory; it stimulates chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood and thinking. Exercise reduces the odds of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Exercise changes the brain in ways that protect memory and thinking skills.

26, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Excessive exercise can tire out your brain to the point that you have trouble making decisions, a new study claims. The findings show that despite the benefits of endurance sports, an excessive training load can have ill effects on your brain, French researchers said.

Lack of sleep Lack of adequate and restful sleep could easily lead to mood swings and anxiety, which in turn contribute to poor memory. Sleep-deprived people are more likely to develop high blood pressure and diabetes, thus they may have constricted (narrowed) blood vessels.

Stress, anxiety or depression can cause forgetfulness, confusion, difficulty concentrating and other problems that disrupt daily activities. Alcoholism. Chronic alcoholism can seriously impair mental abilities. Alcohol can also cause memory loss by interacting with medications.

No matter what your age, several underlying causes can bring about memory problems. Forgetfulness can arise from stress, depression, lack of sleep or thyroid problems. Other causes include side effects from certain medicines, an unhealthy diet or not having enough fluids in your body (dehydration).

The idea that we get dumber as we grow older is just a myth, according to brain research that will encourage anyone old enough to know better. Conventional wisdom has it that we reach our mental peak in our mid-twenties and that it’s all downhill from there.

Some people may have a genetic predisposition to age-related white matter decay, a poorly understood but actively studied hypothesis. In other individuals, slowed processing speed could be the first sign of a neurodegenerative illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Head trauma, including concussions, may play a role.

Any of the following symptoms can be a result of a head injury and can contribute to cognitive decline, now or later:

1. Amnesia (ranging from short-term blackouts to long-term loss of memory of a traumatic event)
2. Behavioral changes (e.g., irritability)
3. Depression.
4. Feeling in a fog.
5. Headache.
6. Increased emotionality.

Treating and coping with mental exhaustion

1. Remove the stressor. It’s not always possible to eliminate the source of your stress, but it is the best way to treat stress.
2. Take a break.
3. Exercise.
4. Relaxation techniques.
5. Get more sleep.
6. Keep a gratitude journal.
7. Medical treatment.

As we enter midlife, our brains change in subtle but measurable ways. The overall volume of the brain begins to shrink when we’re in our 30s or 40s, with the rate of shrinkage increasing around age 60. But, the volume loss isn’t uniform throughout the brain — some areas shrink more, and faster, than other areas.

Age-related cognitive decline and changes in immune function have been reversed by an experimental drug in a preclinical study, recently published in Life.

From birth to age 5, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life. And early brain development has a lasting impact on a child’s ability to learn and succeed in school and life.

As we age our brains shrink in volume, particularly in the frontal cortex. As our vasculature ages and our blood pressure rises the possibility of stroke and ischaemia increases and our white matter develops lesions. Memory decline also occurs with ageing and brain activation becomes more bilateral for memory tasks.

The ages you’re the smartest at everything throughout your life

• Overall brain processing power and detail memory peaks around age 18.
• The ability to learn unfamiliar names peaks at 22.
• Peak facial recognition ability occurs around 32.
• Concentration abilities peak around age 43.

The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so. In fact, recent research has found that adult and teen brains work differently. Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part.

Not getting a good night’s sleep might be linked to shrinkage of the brain’s gray matter over time, new research suggests.